Here’s what’s worth reading today, Monday, June 17, 2019:
My father is a conservative, and I’m an anarchist. Hunting still connects us: My first real memory of my father is of blood and gunpowder. The dark of night, leaves crunching beneath my big rubber boots as I clumsily scampered after him. No stars above, no city light bleeding in. Just the beam of his heavy, black flashlight. Just me and him. And the deer. The deer’s body was still warm as my dad hoisted it out of the back of his pickup truck and laid it down on the ground between us. “Now, hold it steady,” he commanded. I did as I was told, shining a light down on his knife as he worked it into the flesh of the deer’s underside, and then, with a flourish, opened its belly with one cut.
California hunters face nation’s first lead ammo ban: The nation’s first 100% lead ammunition ban for hunters takes effect in two weeks in California. The law shows a will to protect individual animals and birds and is taking effect as a fait accompli among hunters. Lead ammunition, when consumed in carcasses by carrion-eating birds such as the California condor, bald eagle and others, can cause sickness and death, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. In the 1980s, lead shot was banned for waterfowl hunting because it could cause similar poisoning when eaten by birds, such as ducks, geese and others that consume gravel to help digestion.
FATHER’S DAY: Thanks, dad, for the hunting, fishing and teaching memories
Billionaires hunting for the perfect ranch are waiting for perks: Buyers looking for the perfect luxury ranch, that billionaire’s take on American rural life, may have to hold out to get what they want. Whether it’s sky-high in New York or in the Big Sky country of Montana, high-end properties seem to be hitting a soft patch: they’re harder to sell unless they come with an exclusivity where price matter less. But that means paying a premium for that perfect combination: from mountain views at sunset to proximity to well-stocked towns to wildlife or the cachet of neighbors.
Top 10 patterns from Sam Rayburn: Kris Wilson handily dominated the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division event presented by Mercury at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. His three-day total of 72 pounds, 8 ounces was 13 pounds, 15 ounces better than the tournament total caught by runner-up Josh Bensema and almost 22 pounds better than Justin Morton in third place. Wilson caught his fish on hard-bottom structure situated in between creeks with shallow, flooded brush and main-lake summertime haunts. The rest of the top 10 fished a little of everything, but mostly stuck to areas within a few miles of the 147 bridge. Here are the details.
A new day for Colorado’s $62 billion outdoors industry as it balances promotion with conservation: Overseeing the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office isn’t just a walk in the park, a hike up a mountain trail or a raft ride down the rapids. A day on the job might involve any of those. But it also means helping grow the state’s $62 billion outdoor recreation industry. It involves promoting conservation of the stunning landscapes that make the Centennial State a huge draw and promoting the economic and health benefits of being outdoors.
Trump opens 1.4 million federal acres to hunters, anglers: President Trump isn’t much of an outdoorsman, aside from golf. But maybe more than any president since Teddy Roosevelt he understands the importance of others getting outside to boat, hunt, fish, shoot, and hike and their demands for access to federal lands and waterways.
914-pound marlin caught at Florida fishing tournament on Father’s Day weekend: A massive, 914-pound was caught at a fishing tournament in North Carolina. The angler who caught it said it was only fitting this happened on Father’s Day weekend. His father, who died four months ago, is the one who got him started fishing. It took 5 1/2 hours of fighting to get the fish on the boat.
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